


summer has come and passed

by lucashemwow



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Angst, But not in the way you're thinking, Camp AU, Crying, Day of the Dead, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, read the disclaimer in the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 19:10:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2079819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucashemwow/pseuds/lucashemwow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a camp au in which its day of the dead and michael really should've known when to stop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	summer has come and passed

**Author's Note:**

> okay so just to be clear on this:
> 
> this is based off day of the dead, not the mexican holiday, but a simulation in which someone dresses up as death and "kills" someone every fifteen minutes [as its said someone dies of a drunk driving accident every fifteen minutes]. basically it lasts the whole day and every fifteen minutes, someone dressed as death [at my camp its one of our directors tucker] will go and take someone away to get their face painted and stuff, and they return as a memory. its to basically say this is what happens in the real world so think before you do anything and don't drive drunk because it could kill you or someone else. after jill gave me this prompt, i had to write it. sorry if it's confusing.
> 
>  _reminder:_ please do not post/repost any of the things i have written and posted without my permission, no matter the website or the circumstance.

In retrospect, Michael shouldn't have been saying the things he was saying.

Okay, he understood that today was extremely emotional, he'd already seen two of his campers and one of his friends get taken, he knew what today meant.

He cracked jokes when he was upset, but _god_  he should've thought it through though.

"This beanie makes you look like a girl," Michael teased, fingering the tassel on Luke's penguin beanie.

Luke shrugged away from him, pulling the hat further down on his head protectively, "Fuck off Michael," he mumbled defensively, curling tighter in on himself.

Michael should've stopped there, but knowing him, he didn't, "Stop being a dick," he huffed, struggling to keep up with Luke.

Luke glared at him, "I said, fuck _off_ ," he spat, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy.

Michael backed off slightly, "You suck, I hate you."

Luke opened his mouth to probably tell Michael to fuck off again, but before he could, the bell rang once, an ominous silence settling over the camp.

Michael immediately looked around for Death, fear icing his heart.

Michael finally spotted him striding from the rec hall, his face expressionless and staff thudding against the ground with every step. Michael realised with a jolt that Death was heading straight for them, and he shut his eyes tight, grabbing at Luke's hand-

-only to feel the warmth at his side ripped away. Michael's eyes flew open to see Death stalking away, his hand tight around Luke's upper arm. Luke's eyes were wide, his bottom lip trembling, though he looked strong as he mouthed _I love you_ back at Michael.

Michael stood frozen for one second before he registered what had just happened, _"Luke!"_ he screamed, his voice piercing the ears of all those around him. _"Luke!"_

He started forward, intent to catch up to Luke and Death and beg Death to let Luke go and take Michael instead when he felt muscular arms wind around his waist, preventing him from moving. Michael recognised them as Ashton's.

"Let me _go!_ " he cried, struggling against Ashton's hold, his eyes still locked with Luke's, hand stretched towards the younger boy.

Michael could only watch helplessly as Death and Luke's figures grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared into the rec hall. It was only then that Michael let himself be comforted, let himself be bundled in between Ashton and Calum.

His fingers twisted into Calum's shirt, burying himself into Calum's chest as ragged sobs were torn from his throat. Ashton pressed against his back, holding him tightly as tears splashed down his face.

 _It's not real, it's only a simulation, he's not dead,_ Michael told himself as he fought for air between sobs, his breath hitching.

But what would happen if it wasn't a simulation? If it was real? They traveled so much, and met so many people, it wouldn't be a surprise if something happened to Luke. The mere thought had Michael's throat closing up. What if this was real?

 _If this was real, y_ _our last words to him would've been I hate you,_  a voice whispered cruelly in his mind. _He would've died with you teasing him being his last memory of you._

Michael sobbed harder, drenching Calum's shirt in tears. He could feel Calum's and Ashton's bodies shaking with their own crying.

Finally, after quite some time of crying in which Michael had completely exhausted himself, he sagged against Calum's chest. The three held each other tight, not risking another being taken.

Movement over Calum's shoulder alerted Michael. He looked up, blinking his bleary eyes into focus, to see Luke slowly walking towards them. Michael choked on another sob.

Luke's face was white with the makeup, his mouth set into a thin line and face unusually somber. The penguin beanie that Michael honestly thought was the cutest thing ever had been removed, Luke's hair in disarray. His ripped Green Day shirt had been replaced with an oversized black t shirt that stood out against his pale skin.

Luke looked up and met Michael's gaze, his face melting into a look of sadness. Michael's eyes filled with even more tears at the sight.

Ashton swore softly at the sight of Luke, his body tensing behind Michael's, "Cal," he hissed.

Calum looked over his shoulder, "Shit," he whispered, hurriedly turning to look at Michael, who was still frozen with his eyes locked with Luke's. "Mikey, come on. We're going to go to the mess hall okay? Everything's going to be fine."

Michael ignored him, stretching his hand out towards Luke, even as Calum and Ashton started pulling him away, "Luke!" he cried out, struggling to get to the younger boy.

Luke's eyes filled with tears at the sight, and he quickly turned his back, the image of that burned in his brain. He hurriedly walked away, subtly brushing away his tears, struggling to ignore the cries of his name from Michael's lips.

Michael sagged, allowing himself to be pulled away.

;

Every single time Michael saw Luke, he'd start to cry without fail. He'd reach out towards the boy and scream his name until his voice was hoarse and Luke had turned away.

Finally, Michael managed to find Luke when no one was around, found him sitting on a bench just behind the playground, his face expressionless. (Michael knew him well enough to see the sadness and barely repressed tears in the hard line of his jaw, and the way his fingernails bit into his palms when his fists clenched.)

Michael carefully took a seat beside Luke, not too close but not too far away, pleased when Luke didn't move, "Luke..." he started, his voice just a breath above a whisper. "Luke I'm so sorry."

Michael sensed Luke's shock, though he didn't take his eyes from the swingset. Michael cleared his throat, blinking back tears. When he spoke, his voice was thick, "I was making fun of you right before you got taken and I always go too far because I don't know when to stop, but fuck Luke I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said, you actually looked really adorable in that stupidly endearing beanie and I just- fuck Luke I love you so much, you have no idea. You mean so much to me, I'm sorry that I hurt you."

Michael blinked back tears, leaning close enough to just barely brush his lips against Luke's shoulder, standing up afterwards and slowly walking back towards Ashton and Calum, his head bowed.

Luke didn't even try to push back the tears threatening his eyes.

;

The next time the bell rang, Luke had a feeling that made his heart break. He lazily looked around for Death, finding him approaching where Michael was stood with other counsellors and campers, a small smile on his face.

Luke's heart dropped when Death's fingers wrapped around the top of a camper's arm that Luke recognised as one from Michael's group. Luke felt sick to his stomach when Michael's smile fell, tears welling in his eyes. A helpless feeling coursed through him as Ashton wrapped Michael up, holding him tightly, struggling to calm him down.

Luke slowly began to walk to where the two boys had been joined by Calum, quietly motioning Calum to not bring attention to his presence.

When Luke was close enough, he reached out a hand to press against Michael's side, whispering _I love you_ against his sweater. He leaned his forehead against Michael's neck for as long as he dared before he wrenched himself away, quickly turning and gliding in the opposite direction.

He could feel it in his bones when Michael's tears started again.

;

(Later, if when the camp directors made their spiel about not driving drunk, and the people who had been taken wiped away their face paint and then lined up outside, and Luke had a stupid smile on his face the whole time, no one commented on it.

If Michael barrelled out of the rec hall and into Luke's arms, his shoulders heaving as he mumbled apology after apology into Luke's shirt, no one looked at them twice.

And if Michael grabbed the back of Luke's head and hauled him in for a biting kiss, whispering _don't you ever fucking do that to me again_ against his mouth, well, that was their business.)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! don't forget to give kudos and comment (:


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